Half of British women spend 10 hours getting ready for work Christmas party

Half of British women will spend an average of 10.4 hours getting ready for their work Christmas parties, according to research.

It’s official, Christmas party season is in full swing and with that comes a whole new beauty routine. At least, that’s what a recent study from Perky Pear has uncovered.

From nails to hair, outfit shopping to tanning, we can see how the hours creep up into double figures, and that’s without the pre-party beauty routine.

The survey revealed that 48% of women spend five hours on their pre-party prep alone.

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Yes, there’s more to getting ready for a Christmas do than putting on make-up and a festive-appropriate (read: glittery and/or velvet) dress.

For half of British women, the process can start weeks before the actual party.

For most it will involve scrolling online, or going shopping, for the perfect outfit. It’ll include booking in nail appointments, haircuts and fake tanning.

A hair colour alone can knock three hours off of that 10 hour average.

It then includes the on-the-day routine; having a shower, shaving legs, doing hair, putting on make-up.

Ten hours doesn’t seem like such a long time when you think about it.

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The survey asked 2,000 British women what their pre-Christmas party routines entailed and uncovered that anxiety can play a major role in our penchant for pre-preparedness.

71% of women between the ages of 18-34 said that body anxieties were their primary factor in taking their time when it comes to getting ready.

That’s compared to only 16% of women over 55 feeling this way. This may suggest that confidence in our bodies comes with age.

It’s clear that there are some anxieties around body image, but what - specifically - did women feel worried about when planning ahead for their Christmas parties?

One in five women worried about how other colleagues would judge their outfit choice and figure in said outfit.

After all, party attire is often a lot different to what we wear day-to-day in the office.

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Despite us being told that time is money, it turns out that isn’t always the case, especially when it comes to Christmas outfits.

Women might be happy to outlay their time to prep themselves for the parties, but they don’t necessarily feel the need to spend a fortune.

The average woman spends £54 on her Christmas outfit, with only 10% of those surveyed saying they spend more than £150.

“Our research shows that the typical British woman will really take their time in order to feel fabulous this festive season.” Samantha Ryder, founder of Perky Pear, said.

“What it also shows somewhat disconcertingly, is that the reasons behind this aren’t always all that positive, with other people’s perceptions and a lack of body confidence playing a party in these extended beauty routines.”

We say: you do you, but do it for you, not for other people.

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